Voters squash anti-unon Measure 59, elect pro-union candidates

Organized labor's campaign to defeat Bill Sizemore's anti-union Ballot Measure 59 and his bid for governor of Oregon was successful Nov. 3.

Measure 59 was the "paycheck deception" plan that Sizemore placed on the ballot via the initiative petitition process. The measure tried to amend the Oregon Constitution to prohibit dues checkoffs by members of public employee unions.

Similar ballot measures supported by right-wing interests have been defeated in other states, most recently in California last May. And like California, Measure 59's backers sugar-coated the bill so much that most Oregonians initially favored it. Polls taken a few weeks prior to Election Day indicated it would pass 53 to 38 percent. But when the votes were counted public employees won 51 to 49 percent.

Voters also rejected Sizemore as a politician, re-electing labor-endorsed John Kitzhaber to a second term by a 65 to 30 percent ratio. Other candidates split the remaining 5 percent. It is the first time in 90 years that a Democrat has been re-elected governor in Oregon.

However, Oregonians kept control of both chambers of the Legislature in the hands of Republicans. The Grand Old Party improved its majority in the House by three seats - from 31-29 to 34-25-1 (Pendleton Democrat Bob Jenson was re-elected as an Independent), while losing three Senate races to Democrats - going from a veto-proof 20-10 to 17-13.

The Oregon AFL-CIO's Committee on Political Education scored 100 percent on ballot measures it took positions on, including the defeat of Measure 64 to ban all forest clear-cutting.

Voters strongly supported labor-initiated Measures 62 and 63. Measure 62, an amendment to the Constitution, requires campaign finance disclosures; regulates initiaitve petition signature gathering, and allows dues checkoffs for members of public employee unions. It won with 68 percent of the vote. Measure 63, another constitutional amendment, requires all future ballot measures that impose a two-thirds "supermajority" to pass, must itself be passed by a super-majority vote. The measure garnered 55 percent of the vote.

Voters also made Oregon the first state in the nation to retire the traditional polling place, as they strongly supported labor-backed Measure 60, which requires all future elections be vote by mail.

"Anytime you defeat a measure that directly attacks you, it's a hell of a good day," said Irv Fletcher, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, referring to Measure 59. "We had a good effort reaching absentee voters, something we will need to expand on now that voters no longer will be going to the polls."

Karla Spence, president of the Oregon Public Employees Union called it "a great victory for the Oregon labor movment. Voters supported our ideas on ballot measures and the strategies we used can be an example for the labor movement throughout the country." Organized labor - both public and private sectors - pulled out all the stops to defeat Measure 59 and to gather support for Measures 62 and 63 by using an old-fashioned labor campaign of making one-on-one contact with colleagues at work, on their doorsteps and by telephone.

Even national AFL-CIO President John Sweeney came to Portland just days before the election to rally the troops and walk precincts to remind Oregonians to vote.

"The national AFL-CIO provided more resources and personnel (to Oregon) than I've ever seen in my 32 years in the labor movement," Fletcher said.

"With the most recent defeat in Oregon should come the total defeat of the avalanche of paycheck deception initiatives hurled our way by the folks who understand that exactly what happened on Election Day in Oregon is going to keep happening," Sweeney said in a post-election statement.

"With our victories on Measures 62 and 63 and Bill Sizemore losing Measure 59, along with his anemic run for governor, I think should send a message that Oregonians are tired of him," said Don Loving, communications director of Oregon Council 75 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

A handful of union activists seeking office was among the winners on Election Day and will provide a strong labor voice in the Democratic caucus at Salem.

State Representative Tony Corcoran of Cottage Grove, an organizer for the Oregon Public Employees Union, was elected to a vacant Senate seat in Lane County's District 22. He defeated State Representative Cedric Hayden, a Eugene dentist, by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin.

In the House, four unionists won by wide margins. Randy Leonard of Fire Fighters Local 43, defeated Republican Tom Cargill in District 21 with 65 percent of the vote; Diane Rosenbaum of Communications Workers Local 7901 garnered 69 percent of the vote in District 14; Gary Hansen of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 finished with 71 percent of the vote in District 17, while Dan Gardner of Electricians Local 48, coralled 96 percent of the vote in District 13.

Leonard is a state senator who had to leave office because of term limits, Hansen is a Multnomah County commissioner, and Gardner was re-elected to office.

The Oregon AFL-CIO endorsed 28 House winners, including three Republicans and an independent. In the Senate nine of 14 endorsed candidates were victorious. One is a Republican.

And even though Republicans increased their control in the Legislature, both AFSCME and the Oregon State Building Trades Council believe they will have an easier time dealing with lawmakers in 1999.

Wally Mehrens, executive secretary of the Columbia-Pacific Building Trades Council, said the construction unions' endorsement ratio (through its political action committee Oregonians to Maintain Community Standards) was 90 percent. That included the endorsement of new House Speaker Lynn Snodgrass, R-Damascus.

AFSCME either endorsed or dual-endorsed 15 Republicans and all 15 were victorious. "The House may be more conservative on some social issues," Loving said, "but when it comes to labor unions and public employee issues like privatization, we see them as more moderate than lawmakers in the last session. We're going in with a decent working relationship."

And labor likely will need it.

Steve Harper of Klamath Falls has indicated that he will introduce a "right-to-work (for less)" bill when the Legislature convenes in January, and Gene Derfler of Salem will likely try to deform unemployment insurance (reduce benefits and trim eligibility) and revisit tip credit for restaurant employees making minimum wage. Workers' compensation "reforms" are scheduled to sunset next year, so that will be a huge issue in the next session as well.

"I don't see a kinder and gentler Legislature in 1999, but I hope I'm wrong," Fletcher said.

OPEU's Spence reminded the Northwest Labor Press that Governor Kitzhaber is still labor's backstop and can veto bills that are detrimental to workers.

The building trades in the Portland metropolitan area were stung by the defeat of more than $1 billion worth of bond measures that would have meant jobs for their members. South-north light rail, expansion of the Oregon Convention Center, and expansion of Portland Community College were three major local ballot measures that voters nixed. "It seems to me that the one thread tying these (measures) together is that Oregonians aren't thinking about the future right now," Mehrens said. "These money measures were investments for our kids' future."

In Washington, D.C., Sweeney said the 1998 elections would usher in a new era of "people-powered politics" with union members turning out at record levels and making the difference in race after race. All of you who've been out around the country during this election cycle know how huge the union effort has been. And you know that our focus was on one-to-one contact with individual union members and family members." The AFL-CIO went into the election season continuing the plan it started in 1996: Focusing on pocketbook issues like health care, education, Social Security, and good jobs with good wages - telling workers about those issues and where the candidates stood on them, and then get union members to turn out and hold candidates accountable around these everyday issues.

Nationally, the unions of the AFL-CIO put together a coordinated effort to register half a million more union members and family members to vote. The national AFL-CIO: * Sent 9.5 million pieces of mail to union households.

* Made 5.5 million personal telephone calls.

* Created 511 separate pieces of worksite literature to educate members about issues and candidates' records on the issues, and then got those leaflets out in hundreds of thousands of worksites

* Had 392 "Labor 98" coordinators working on contests for House, Senate, governor as well as state and local races.

Labor's get-out-the-vote campaign helped elect Democrat David Wu to Congress. He defeated Republican Molly Bordonaro for the seat being vacated by Democrat Elizabeth Furse in Oregon's First District.

In other election results, labor-endorsed U.S. Senator Ron Wyden was easily re-elected, as were Congressment Earl Blumenauer in the Third District, Peter DeFazio in the Fourth District, and Darlene Hooley in the Fifth District. A few days after election day, workers won another victory when U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., announced he is leaving Congress.

In local races in the Portland metropolitan area, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council helped pass Measure 26-72, a bond measure to build more fire stations. It also supported Jan Wyers in his victory for Multnomah County Circuit Court judge, Serena Cruz for Multnomah County commissioner, David Bragdon and Rod Monroe for Metro councilors, Larry Sowa for Clackamas County commissioner, John Kauffman for Clackamas County clerk, and Dan Holladay for Oregon City city council.

Oregon AFL-CIO Endorsement Winners

Oregon State Senate

Dist. 1 - Joan Dukes; Dist. 9 - Frank Shields; Dist. 14 - Rick Metsger; Dist. 17 - Peter Courtney; Dist. 18 - Cliff Trow; Dist. 20 - Susan Castillo; Dist. 21 - Lee Beyer; Dist. 22 - Tony Corcoran; Dist. 26 - Lenn Hannon.

Oregon House of Representatives

Dist. 1 - Jackie Taylor; Dist. 4 - Terry Thompson; Dist. 5 - Jim Hill; Dist. 8 - Ryan Deckert; Dist. 11 - Anitra Rasmussen; Dist. 12 - Chris Beck; Dist. 13 - Dan Gardner; Dist. 14 - Diane Rosenbaum; Dist. 15 - Randall Edwards; Dist. 16 - Jeff Merkley; Dist. 17 - Gary Hansen; Dist. 18 - Debra Kafoury; Dist. 19 - Jo Ann Bowman; Dist. 21 - Randy Leonard; Dist. 23 - Kurt Schrader; Dist. 24 - Richard Devlin; Dist. 26 - Kathy Lowe; Dist. 34 - Lane Shetterly; Dist. 35 - Barbara Ross; Dist. 39 - Kitty Piercy; Dist. 40 - Floyd Prozanski; Dist. 41 - Vicki Walker; Dist. 42 - William Morrisette; Dist. 44 - Al King; Dist. 47 - Mike Lehman; Dist. 52 - Judith Uherbelau; Dist. 56 - Bob Montgomery; Dist. 57-Bob Jenson.